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  • © 2006

Fragile Families and the Marriage Agenda

  • Offers timely research about one of the most important public policy initiatives related to family well-being in recent years

  • Poised at the edge of an important and uncharted policy experiment, this book sheds light on the debate about family policies’ ultimate effects on family well-being

  • Offers sound scientific knowledge and reasoned review of the information that should guide policy activity in this important area

  • Offers both theoretical and empirical perspectives on fragile families from many different disciplines, including sociology, psychology, family studies, legal studies, and policy studies

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Table of contents (9 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xvi
  2. Fragile Families and the Marriage Agenda

    • Sara S. McLanahan
    Pages 1-21
  3. Marrying for America

    • Dawne Moon, Jaye Cee Whitehead
    Pages 23-45
  4. Teen Childbearing and Public Policy

    • Brent C. Miller, Rayna A. Sage, Bryan Winward
    Pages 47-72
  5. Fragile Families and Family Law

    • Lynn D. Wardle
    Pages 73-106
  6. Family Structure and Child Well-Being

    • Rachel Dunifon, Lori Kowaleski-Jones
    Pages 107-125
  7. Shifting Fortunes in a Changing Economy

    • Matthew McKeever, Nicholas H. Wolfinger
    Pages 127-157
  8. Family Structure and Adolescent Labor Market Participation

    • Mikaela J. Dufur, Kelly P. Troutman
    Pages 159-187
  9. Maybe Someday

    • Renata Forste
    Pages 189-209
  10. Fatherhood as a Transformative Process

    • Paul Florsheim, Le Q. Ngu
    Pages 211-232
  11. Back Matter

    Pages 233-238

About this book

Many people see government involvement in family policy as a response to popular concerns that the American family is in a state of crisis. One of the primary concerns with “fragile” families (one parent – usually mother) is economic: Poverty rates for single mothers are several times that of two-parent families. Economic deprivation while growing up has been linked to poor physical health, reduced intellectual ability and academic achievement.

Some social sciences contend that marriage is the solution to many of the problems associated with single-parent families. Other experts believe that government programs designed to raise marriage rates may cause more problems than they solve (i.e. domestic violence, divorce, etc.).

The proposed volume will explore issues related to fragile families from many different perspectives on the causes and consequences of this issue. This book is divided up into sections covering legal and theoretical perspectives, causes and consequences of offspring wellbeing, and the aspect of father’s importance to the “fragile families”.

Editors and Affiliations

  • Department of Family and Consumer Studies, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, USA

    Lori Kowaleski-Jones, Nicholas H. Wolfinger

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: Fragile Families and the Marriage Agenda

  • Editors: Lori Kowaleski-Jones, Nicholas H. Wolfinger

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/b136572

  • Publisher: Springer New York, NY

  • eBook Packages: Humanities, Social Sciences and Law, Social Sciences (R0)

  • Copyright Information: Springer-Verlag US 2006

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-0-387-25884-3Published: 25 August 2005

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-0-387-68172-6Published: 11 July 2007

  • eBook ISBN: 978-0-387-26025-9Published: 04 July 2006

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: XVI, 238

  • Topics: Sociology, general

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access